Rejected Into The Rain
by Tinyrocket
Summary: A late Persona 4 Valentine's Day story. Kanji never liked Valentine's Day because he knew that no one will ever love him. But little did he know that this year will be different.


Hi, I am Tinyrocket! I am making a Valentine's Day special! This time, using a couple from a game that never been played before. Kanji Tatsumi and Naoto Shirogane. Why? Because the couple is cute. Because this pairing is not used often and because I am a fan of the game Persona 4. Thus, this story is born! Enjoy!

It was a dark Sunday at the small town of Inaba. The clouds were completely covering the sky as it made loud grumbles. The rain was falling hard like bullets over the tiny countryside. Everyone made the wise choice to stay inside unless they needed to stay inside. It is a shame that today had to turn up like this on Valentine's Day of all days.

A familiar grey-haired teenager in juvenile delinquent-esque clothes sat on an old folding chair in his room with his legs crossed looking unhappy for some reason.

"What a way to spend Valentine's day…" Kanji Tatsumi said gloomily as he looked at the window to see rain beating at the window.

The black-clad young man sighed at the harsh weather.

"Then again, in a way, it kinda matches my mood." He said gloomily.

You see, Kanji always feels this bad around this time of year. Mainly because Valentine's Day was supposed to be a day of love, romance and where true love meet each other. And the poor guy didn't get any of those things every year because he was a juvenile delinquent. But, it wasn't because the MAIN reason.

You see, believe it or not. Kanji has hobbies that most young men wouldn't do. He does sewing since his mother owns a textile shop and sometimes likes to bake and create stuffed animals and dolls.

"Valentine Day sucks. Period." He spat.

He then gave another deep sigh before he got up from his seat.

"Well, I might as well see what's Ma is up." Kanji said walking towards his door and opening it to come out.

The white-haired boy walked out to see his mother with an umbrella just outside the door.

The mother turned to see her son. "Ah, Kanji. Glad to see you finally came out of your room moping."

The young man snarled at this.

"What I do is none of your business!" Kanji snapped. "And what are you doing with that umbrella, anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am going outside to do some grocery shopping." The mother explained.

Kanji's eyes bugged out. "In this weather!?"

The mother shrugged. "Yes, I know the weather is rough but I need a few things to make dinner tonight."

"Uh-uh! No way! There is no way you are going out in that weather!" Kanji snapped.

"Why not? Would you rather starve to death?" The mother asked.

"No! But I don't want you to drown like a rat either!" Kanji scolded.

"Oh, please. Kanji, you insult me. I am tougher than I look." The mother said before chuckling a bit.

The young delinquent narrowed his eyes. "I am NOT going to let you go out in this weather!"

"And what should we do for dinner?" The mother said.

Kanji growled before he ran over to his mother and took the umbrella out of her hands.

"Fine! I'll go myself!" He snapped.

"Are you sure, Kanji?" The mother asked.

"Didn't have much to do in the first place." Kanji shrugged.

The mother gave a deep sigh knowing why Kanji acts like this, there is no stopping him.

"Okay, fine, just let me write you a list." The mother said before getting a piece of paper and a pencil. She then wrote down about what she wanted from the grocery. "Here."

"Okay." Kanji said taking the list.

"Now, be careful." The mother said.

"Don't worry about me, Ma." Kanji said before stepping outside, opening his umbrella and running off.

The mother watched as her only son ran through the rain. She then sighed. "I know he has good intentions but he could be so reckless sometimes."

/-/-/-/-/-/

Kanji walked down the street full of puddles using his umbrella to shield him from the rain while reading the list.

"Now, let see here. These items shouldn't be too hard to get." The young man shrugged as he strolled down the street.

He then walked up to the grocery store and walked inside. There, he closed his umbrella once he was out of the heavy rain.

The grocer then saw him. "Ah, Kanji-kun! Doing some errands for your mother?"

The teenaged boy scratched the back of his head. "Yeah..."

"Isn't a bit wet to go outside?" The grocer asked.

Kanji simply sighed. "Yeah, well. My Ma actually wants to go shopping in this weather so I volunteered myself to get them for her to avoid her getting soaked."

The grocer chuckled a bit. "I thought you knew by now that neither rain nor shine can stop your mother!"

"Yeah, I guess." Kanji said chuckling a bit.

"What a horrible way to spend Valentine's Day, eh?" The grocer frowned.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. But I don't really care because I am not into Valentine's Day in the first place." Kanji shrugged.

"Really? Why not?" The grocer asked.

Kanji looked to see the side. "I just don't, okay?"

"All right, if you say so." The grocer said.

Kanji then walked over to a shelf to collect some items that were on his list.

"All right, first of all, I have to get..." The silver-haired male said before he read the list.

That was all he got out before he heard a door open. He turned to see a young man in his early twenties walking inside before closing a soaked umbrella.

"Oh, Bangai-kun! How are you?" The grocer smiled.

"Well, I am alive if that is what you are asking." Bangai sighed.

The grocer frowned. "Rough day?"

"Yeah. With all this bad weather and all, everything planned for the outdoors are cancelled." Bangai lamented.

"I took it that you had outdoor plans?" The grocer quizzed.

"Yeah..." Bangai sighed. "A romantic picnic with my new girlfriend."

Hearing this suddenly made Kanji to go back to his shopping.

"It was supposed to be perfect! We was supposed to go on the highest hill on Inaba and enjoying the wonderful view while eating food I made with my own hands!" Bangai frowned. "And now thanks to this stupid rain, it is ruined!"

"I take it, your girlfriend didn't take it too lightly." The grocer said in sympathy.

"She did, actually. She said that we can always have Valentine's Day in our own home." Bangai said. "She is such a good person. And that is why I love her."

"I see, so why are you here?" The grocer frowned.

"I am going to buy her a big box of chocolates to make up for the picnic." Bangai explained.

"Well, that's a nice substitute!" The grocer smiled.

"Yeah, well, that isn't a good enough substitute for her." Bangai said shaking his head. "She's... She deserves more. I want a present that expresses my love to her even though she is just happy with being with me."

"You really love her, don't you?" The grocer said solemnly.

"More than anything." Bangai said sternly.

"Well, the sweets shelf is right over there." The grocer explained.

"Thank you." Bangai nodded before walking over to a shelf of chocolates.

Meanwhile, Kanji who overheard the entire conversation sighed sadly at this.

_"He... He really cares a lot for her and is willing to do anything for her..." _He thought. _"I wish I can do something like that for a girl."_

"Kanji-kun?"

Hearing his name being called, he snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the grocer.

"Need some help?" He asked.

Kanji's eyes widened when he realised that he still needed to go shopping. "Oh, yeah! I am just thinking about something else!"

/-/-/-/-/-/

After Kanji paid for the groceries, he walked back out with his open umbrella in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other.

"Well, seeing that I am done shopping. Might as well go back home." The young man shrugged.

He then started to make his way home. On the way back, he started to think about what happened between that Bangai guy.

"He really liked his girlfriend, doesn't he? He must really wanted to put his life on the line for her." Kanji said before he sighed sadly. "It must be nice. To have someone to love and for that someone to love you back."

He then stopped when he saw that a couple was walking by sharing an umbrella while looking lovingly in each other's eyes. They didn't seemed all that down by the heavy weather. Instead, they are happy to be with each other's company.

Kanji simply stared at them before moving on shaking his head. This is exactly why he hated Valentine's Day. Most of the people he knew is paired up with someone except him.

"Maybe I should have just let Ma go and just stayed in my room all day." Kanji sighed.

He then slowly made his way back to his house feeling a bit more down than he already is.

However, he walked on, he failed to spot a muddy puddle.

The second Kanji stepped on the puddle, he lost his balance and fell forward facefirst into another muddy puddle dropping the items in his hands onto the ground. A few potatoes rolled out of the grocery bag and onto the street while the umbrella bounced around a bit awkwardly meaning there was nothing to shield Kanji from the rain.

The young man growled as he got up on his knees. When he fell, he got mud on his face blinding him.

"Grr! Darn it!" He said angrily as he used his arms to wipe his face.

Unknown to him, a figure with an umbrella saw his fall and rushed over to the fallen boy to check if he was all right.

Kanji continued to attempt to wipe his face to clear his vision.

"Here." A voice said.

"Huh?" Kanji asked.

"Wipe your face with this." The voice said holding out a handkerchief.

Kanji could have sworn that he heard that voice before but because of the heavy beating of the rain, he couldn't hear it properly. Instead, he took the handkerchief from the friendly hand and wiped his face finally allowing him to see.

"Hey, thanks..." The young man smiled.

His eyes then widened and his heartbeat quickened when he saw a young person with short blue hair and a dark blue cap standing over him looking concerned.

"Naoto!" Kanji said surprised.

"Are you all right, Kanji-kun?" Naoto asked with concern in her deep, masculine voice.

"Um... Um, yeah, I just slipped. That's all." Kanji reassured.

With that, the silver-haired man got up onto his feet showing that he was much bigger than Naoto.

"Here." Kanji said giving her the handkerchief. "It's... um, a little muddy though. Sorry."

"It's quite all right." The Detective Prince said taking back the handkerchief. "But you should pick back up that umbrella. A few more seconds will result in a cold."

Kanji chuckled a bit. "Just as calculating as ever, aren't we, Naoto-kun?"

With that, he knelt down and picked up his umbrella. He then held it over his head protecting him from the rain. He then saw that the grocery bag was on the ground.

"Well, crud..." Kanji growled before he went to pick up the grocery bag off the wet ground.

"Any damages?" Naoto asked.

"Well, the potatoes are soaked to the bone, the eggs looked like they are broken and the tomatoes are squished." Kanji sighed.

"I am sorry about your groceries." Naoto said.

"It's not your fault." Kanji lamented before turning to the much smaller person. "So, you came here to go shopping too?"

"Correct. I was on my way to Junes." Naoto said. "While this horrendous weather would normally make me stay indoors, I really need to go."

"Yeah, Ma need to do the same thing too." Kanji sighed. "Wait till I tell her I ruined the groceries."

"I saw the whole incident. You are not responsible for your accident." Naoto reassured.

Kanji took a deep sigh. "Thank you, Naoto."

"Anyway, do you have any money to buy more groceries?" The blue-clad girl asked.

Kanji sighed. "No. I only brought enough money for the groceries."

"I see. I wish I have some extra yen, I would have gave it to you." Naoto said. "Sorry."

"It's all right." Kanji sighed.

"So are you all right?" Naoto asked.

"Nothing hurt but my pride." Kanji said before attempting to wipe some mud away from his dark attire.

"Well, as long as you're all right." Naoto said.

Kanji took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. It is a shame it is under some depressing conditions." Naoto said.

"Yeah, you too." Kanji said.

"Well, farewell for now." Naoto said before she started to walk away.

Kanji stared as the short girl slowly went away in the rain. He then looked at his feet for a moment. Suddenly, he shot his head back up.

"Naoto!"

The blue-haired girl turned around surprised by the sudden shout.

"Um, want me to help you?" Kanji asked with a small blush on his face.

Naoto raised an eyebrow. "How about your mother?"

Kanji took a deep breath. "I know it wasn't my fault but I don't want to return home. Not yet."

Naoto blinked twice. "Well, if you feel that strongly about it, you may come.

Kanji gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

With that, he ran over to where Naoto was. The two then went to Junes together.

/-/-/-/-/-/

Kanji and Naoto both went to Junes. There, they both went inside a bookstore after closing their umbrellas.

"Oh, you are buying a book, Naoto?" Kanji asked.

"Y-Yes." Naoto said somewhat sheepishly. "There is a new detectice novel coming out today and I really wanted to get it."

Kanji chuckled a bit. "Should have known."

"Yes, well, I really been going after this book for a while." Naoto said. "Seeing that no one will be out in this weather, I knew this could be a big chance to go out and get it."

"I see." Kanji said.

Naoto was going to explain more about the book until she saw something. "AH! There it is!"

With that, the androgynous child walked over to a book shelf.

Kanji stared at her unaware that they were a teenage couple behind him looking shocked. They then both ran behind a bookcase.

"What the freaking heck is HE doing here?" The boy asked surprised.

"Yeah, I thought this place would be the LAST place to run into someone like him!" The girl agreed.

"I can't believe that bookstore owner actually let him inside of here!" The boy snapped. He then sighed. "But then again, I could say the same for the other people letting into buildings!"

"Ugh... Don't they know letting him inside the stuff like this is like letting a bull into a china shop?" The girl groaned.

"Yeah, and why is he even inside a bookstore in the first place?" The boy asked.

"Maybe he is looking for a book to help him interact with a girl." The girl suggested as a joke.

The boy gave a hearty laugh. "Ha ha! In that case, he has to buy the whole section of romance!"

"Yeah, nobody would ever love a delinquent like him!" The girl agreed. "When will he learn that?"

"Yeah, his face is more than enough to break mirrors!" The boy chuckled.

"But, seriously, I feel sorry for him parents, raising a punk like that." The girl said.

"You know."

The boy and girl's eyes widened at the new voice.

"I could push this bookcase over and smash your puny skulls anytime." A voice said from the other side of the bookcase.

The couple shrieked in fright before they ran off out of the bookstore.

Kanji scoffed angrily. "Hmph. Idiots. Don't they know bookcases aren't soundproof?"

Meanwhile, Naoto walked up to him holding a plastic bag.

"All right. I got it." The blue-clad girl said. She suddenly noticed that Kanji seemed a bit peeved. "Kanji-kun? What's wrong? You seemed... angered."

"I am fine." The young man said taking a deep breath to calm himself. "So you got your book, Naoto?"

"Yes. Right here." Naoto nodded.

"All right, let's go." Kanji said before the two then walked off out of the store together.

The two continued walking through the grand mall of Junes without saying a word to anyone. Kanji was tempted to look down at her but quickly thought against it.

_"Darn it! Why do I always feel this way about Naoto-kun!?" _Kanji snapped. _"I never felt this way about anyone before..."_

Suddenly, he saw that Naoto suddenly stopped. Looking at the young girl in confusion, he looked where she was looking and his eyes widened. Naoto was looking at a window display of Valentine's Day's cards.

Kanji was stunned for a moment. "Um, interested in buying a card?"

"No. I am not too fond of Valentine's Day." Naoto said.

Kanji's face fell for some reason. "Yeah, same here."

"A holiday where people send each other presents expressing their true love to each other." Naoto said. She then sighed. "I always get a lot of love letters at this time of year."

"Really? That's pretty cool!" Kanji smiled.

"What is so great about it?" Naoto asked.

Kanji looked confused at this. "Why? It's not everyday that you got more than one secret admirer."

"I am not into romance much either. I usually just ignore them." Naoto said.

Kanji's frown widened.

"Besides, I am not looking for a mate." Naoto said.

"I guess so..." Kanji said looking at the side.

Naoto raised an eyebrow at this. "What seems to be the problem is?"

"Um, nothing..." Kanji sighed.

"Kanji-kun, you been acting unhappy ever since we left the bookstore." Naoto said. "Surely, you are upset about something."

The delinquent took a deep breath knowing that there is no fooling Naoto. "All right, all right. Just earlier I had a couple talking about me behind the bookcase. They were saying bad stuff about me saying that I shouldn't be allowed anywhere, that no one will love and how sorry they are Ma for raising me! Made my blood boil and almost made me push the bookcase over their flat heads.

Naoto looked shocked for a moment. She then suddenly looked guilty. "I'm sorry..."

Kanji looked confused. "For what?"

"Here I am complaining about how much love letters I got and yet..." Naoto said.

"No! NO! It's not like that all!" Kanji reassured. He then looked at the side sighing. "Well, at least not all of it."

He then took a deep breath.

"Every year, I never get any valentines from any girls. Because of that I usually spend the holiday inside my room moping. I admit that I am not exactly a bishonen so I will be actually surprised if I got one." The well-built boy sighed. He suddenly looked angry. "Dang it! Who is the idiot who created this stupid holiday, anyway? This may be a day of love for some people but it is also a day of misery for others!"

"Calm down, Kanji-kun!" Naoto said.

The teenaged male sighed. "I'm sorry. But I am SO ticked about this."

"It's all right." Naoto said. "It must be a real task to suffer stuff like this."

"Yeah... You are the first person I ever shared this with." Kanji explained.

"Really? How come?" Naoto asked.

"Hm?" Kanji said looking up.

"Why am I the first person you ever told?" Naoto quizzed.

Kanji instantly started to sweat bullets at this as his heart started beating as fast as it can. He knew that he had to give the detective an answer and he cannot mess it up.

_"Aw, come on, Kanji, you idiot! Say something!" _He thought angrily at himself.

The grey-haired then gave a very deep sigh as if he was about the most deepest, darkest secret of his past to a total stranger. Now is the time to be a man.

"You remember when I abducted by Namatame and was thrown into the TV world?" Kanji asked.

"If you mean I remembered hearing about your disappearance then yes, I did." Naoto said.

"Yes, well. The place I was threw in is very embarrassing." Kanji said somewhat nervously. "It was a men's sauna."

Naoto raised her eyebrow in confusion. "A men's sauna?"

Kanji went pale at the memories. "I rather not go into detail. I CAN tell you that the sauna was created because of my fear of rejection."

"Fear of rejection?" Naoto asked.

"Yeah, I was always afraid of being rejected because of my hobbies." Kanji nodded.

"Hobbies?" Naoto said with a raised eyebrow.

Kanji sighed. "Believe it or not, Naoto. I like to sew and bake and other things girls like."

The detective looked shocked. "Really? I mean, I can understand sewing seeing that you live inside a textile shop but you bake as well?"

"Yes..." Kanji said. "The girls always made fun of me because of it. But the boys... They are a little bit more tolerant."

"Really? Usually, it is the other way around." Naoto explained.

"I know. Anyway, I met... someone and for some reason... I feel attractive to that person." Kanji explained. "I suddenly started to question myself as a person. I think that what created that whacked out sauna."

"I see." Naoto said.

"And do you know who's that person was?" Kanji asked.

"Who?" Naoto quizzed.

Kanji took a deep breath. It was now or never time and he knows it. His lips started shaking before he nervously spoke out his statement.

"It was you."

Naoto's eyes bugged out to the fullest.

"That's right, Naoto." Kanji said. He then made a bold move and held her free hand which didn't has the plastic bag. "Whether I thought you was a man or a woman, I had feelings for you. Feelings I never felt for anyone else."

The young girl looked stunned at this. Kanji didn't think he saw anyone go so pale.

The silver-haired man gave a deep sigh.

"Listen, Naoto. This is a very hard thing for me to do so I am going to say this once. I... Love... You."

Kanji then quickly shut his eyes as if he was expecting to get hit or something. Much to his surprise, he feels better. Much better. More better than he ever felt in his life as if a giant boulder have been lifted off his shoulders. That didn't stop his face from going red though.

Naoto, on the other hand, couldn't believe it. She had a lot of female people confessed their love to her but never a man. And from Kanji Tatsumi of all people. Then again, it DOES explain why he acts shyly around her.

"Is... Is that true, Kanji-kun?" Naoto asked surprisingly in a high-pitched voice.

"Yes, Naoto... I do..." The tall boy sighed with his eyes still closed.

The awkward silence between the two. The only noises can be heard were the heavy beatdown of the rain.

Suddenly, Kanji felt something. He slowly opened his eyes halfway only for them to widened when he saw Naoto holding his hand with the plastic bag and her face was pink.

"Kanji-kun... Thank you... You have to be the first boy to ever confessed their love to me." She said. She absolutely lost all masculinity in her voice.

"Naoto..." Kanji said touched by her words.

After Naoto said that statement, Kanji's views of Valentine's Day have turned upside-down.

There it is! Sorry about the lame ending but I didn't know how to end it. Naoto is a tough character to write for in a romance story. Anyway, review away!


End file.
